All of these toy recalls really worry me, there is supposed to be another one from mattel tuesday!! I buy a lot of wooden toys but they to worry me since some are colored...How do I make sure the toys arnt lead?? How do I gurantee what we are playing with is safe?? I cant believe that a toy company wouldnt think of this!! I almost feel like going out and getting test kits or something. My daughter is only seven months so EVERY toy is in her mouth!!!: : :

only buy toys from a wood toy company that prides themselves in selling safe toys. i know there is still reason to doubt ANY company, but i feel safe with many of the German companies such as HABA. i hope they are safe cause dd chews on them all day.

we have several wood toys from a company called "melissa and doug" or something - all wood but painted and made in china. i guess i'll be throwing them away - better than taking a chance with lead paint right?

You can find lead test kits (sort of a qtip like swab affair) at home supply stores (like home depot or lowes) and I've also seen them at Target and Walmart. Your local dept of health or WIC/infant health service might sell them too or provide them free for some income brackets.

I think it's worth checking...

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You can find lead test kits (sort of a qtip like swab affair) at home supply stores (like home depot or lowes) and I've also seen them at Target and Walmart. Your local dept of health or WIC/infant health service might sell them too or provide them free for some income brackets.

I think it's worth checking...

Thanks for this--I've been wondering about those test kits and where to get them.

I'm nervous about that too, lately-- we had a couple wooden toys with lead paint-- some of the Thomas trains and a bamboo game from Target. My littlest still puts some toys in his mouth (wooden food, especially). I plan to get him lead tested at our next dr. appointment even though he was tested at 9 mos., since I know there was lead in our toys.
If I had a 7 mo. old I would definitely buy a test kit-- they're very easy to use. Since my son doesn't generally mouth toys anymore, I think any damage has been done already.

That's a good idea, Wombatclay - I have mostly Haba toys for DS, but have a few that worry me a bit that I've shelved for the time being. Plus with the holidays coming around the bend (ack! where did summer go?!) and well-meaning but not always appropriate grandfathers...

There are kits that detect surface lead... you swab the surface of an item and it tells you if there is lead. There are also kits for water testing, mold testing, etc...

Keep in mind these kits are not always reliable and are a pain to do-you need to have paint "chips" in order to test for lead, and even then the diy kits are hit or miss. A friend used one to test the chipping lead paint on her windowsill at home and it came back all clear. However, she decided to hire a professional to come out and test several spots in her home (older home and her dd was crawling/climbing) and the same windowsill came back with a high lead rating!

So, I think it is probably better and easier in the long run to buy toys from reputable companies in the first place.

Keep in mind these kits are not always reliable and are a pain to do-you need to have paint "chips" in order to test for lead, and even then the diy kits are hit or miss. A friend used one to test the chipping lead paint on her windowsill at home and it came back all clear. However, she decided to hire a professional to come out and test several spots in her home (older home and her dd was crawling/climbing) and the same windowsill came back with a high lead rating!

So, I think it is probably better and easier in the long run to buy toys from reputable companies in the first place.

thats really good to know about the tests not always working. i have been realizing my cats spend so much time in the windows and our house is pretty old. my baby isn't here yet but i am starting to think i should et my cats tested as well as having a professional come in and check the windows. can you get pets checked?

I shudder to think what *we* were exposed to as children... you know, back when there was far less testing of our toys/painted surfaces, let alone our blood. Oh, and when there was still leaded gasoline... what happened to people from that?

We have a number of Melissa and Doug toys as well. I bought and tested most of our wooden toys with the home test kits. All came up negative. I wasn't aware that the tests were so frequently inaccurate. Actually, I had read they might show a false-positive if anything. Now I'm nervous. But seriously, throwing out your Melissa and Doug toys??

I'm starting to feel like there's nothing safe for my kids to play with. We have few plastic toys b/c of the toxins associated with them, so if wood isnt safe either, we're just SOL, aren't we?!

Keep in mind these kits are not always reliable and are a pain to do-you need to have paint "chips" in order to test for lead, and even then the diy kits are hit or miss. A friend used one to test the chipping lead paint on her windowsill at home and it came back all clear. However, she decided to hire a professional to come out and test several spots in her home (older home and her dd was crawling/climbing) and the same windowsill came back with a high lead rating!

So, I think it is probably better and easier in the long run to buy toys from reputable companies in the first place.

Not necessarily about needing paint chips.
The tests I had a couple of years ago, you put this liquid on q-tips, then rubbed the q-tip against the surface (window/door frames, walls, tiles, dishes, etc) and the q-tip would turn black if there was lead in the paint. Alternatively you could put a paint chip in a glass with the stuff in it. But the swabbing detected lead paint in our window and door frames, an old chair, and some old ceramic dishes, so I assume it's pretty accurate. The health dept. came to our apartment after we tested and found the same thing.

I shudder to think what *we* were exposed to as children... you know, back when there was far less testing of our toys/painted surfaces, let alone our blood. Oh, and when there was still leaded gasoline... what happened to people from that?

Lead poisoning can affect almost every organ system of the body, including:

I guess I have a huge worry because both my sister and I have learning disabilities and while it might be gentic, what if its not?? I would love to prevent my daughter from having the same problems I had. I will never forget the struggle I went through in school.

I threw a bunch of our toys away myself... anything with PAINT on it that was made in China. I read a long article in USA Today about this which was saying that basically lead paint is cheaper, it dries faster, and it dries to a shinier finish... so lots of companies in China *sneak* it into the manufacturing process.

BTW HABA is no guarantee of anything. Guess where HABA manufactures their toys? China! I was just trying to put together an all-wood-toy wishlist last night when I noticed that on many of their toy descriptions. Something like "Designed in Germany, manufactured in China." Ugh.

I don't even know what to say! Can a clear finish on a wood toy have lead in it? I know sometimes I am overprotective, but lead is such a HIGH RISK issue that it's just not worth taking chances IMO.

i think that just cause it is painted in China that does not neccessarily worry me. it worries me when i have something froma company that does not test its products before selling them. i hope that Melissa and Doug prides themselves in safe toys and tests them after they leave China. I think that was the problem w/ Matel-they didn't do their own testing before selling the products.

I thought about just avoiding toys from china since all of these american companies are running off there and then most of these lead toys/bibs are coming from there, but then where do I draw the line...what countries are "ok"... I found a toy I want thats made in Vietnam, do I consider that to be okay?? Then I wonder what the working conditions are like there for whoevers making the toy.

I was thinking about this today. I just saw the news. My son has so many toys that were presents that I am worried about. They all end up in his mouth. This is so sad. I think I am going to buy some of those tests anyways. I need to know, and I pray that they are accurate for me.

I just wrote into wbz tv for help ...."There are so many notices about toy recalls, is there a list of toys that have been checked and been found free of lead paint. I am so worried that my son's toys haven't been tested and could be harmful. Can you guys get a list of all toys that have been tested??? So we know which have lead paint, which don't, and which are not know yet. Thank you so much for your help. You must know what a nightmare this is for parents."
DO you think that they will read it??? Maybe I should write into Help me Hank! I think it is kind of amazing that they anounce all of these recalls and no one is asking about the rest of the toys. This is going to drive me crazy. I think I am going to put away almost all of my son's toys. My poor little guy. Am I over reacting? I am just so worried.

I've decided to tell everyone I don't want ANYTHING thats made in China! Only stuff made in the US/Canada/Europe. Maybe Mexico. Sure, that tends to limit our toy options, but bah. I didn't have all the plastic crap thats out today, and I was just totally happy. So will my son be! Once DS gets old enough to stop putting EVERYTHING in his mouth, we might re-evaluate. But, for now, while he's little, NOTHING FROM CHINA! has totally become my motto

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We've lived in places with lead paint (of course under latex paint) so it isn't like it isn't in our environment already... but the toy thing does bug me. I think it is safe to suspect any toy with red and yellow paint made in china... but also many lunch boxes (the soft sided ones esp. with character's on them)... and children's bibs (glad we were never really successful with using bibs!)

I was SO MAD when I heard about the thomas stuff, because my boys love these toys, and they were originally made here in the US sometime in the last 5 years they switched the operation over to China...

But I try to be very careful about not turning this into a china bashing exercise--but there has been so much growth there and very little control.

Oh, and another thing (we don't really do apple juice except for Martinelli's for a holiday) but most apple juice is from... you guessed it: CHINA!

These recalls have been really upsetting to me. Especially the Thomas Train recalls, because I guess I had this idea that if a toy was made of wood it was safer/better than others.

Today I gathered all of the Thomas trains, die-cast cars/trains/etc, and took them out of the house. I just feel like I don't know what is safe and what is not. I'm not sure if I'm going to throw them away yet or not. But I just can't take a chance with a 2 yr old and a 10 month old who put toys in their mouths all the time. I have started questioning every toy we have. I wish there was a good way to find out if they are actually safe and lead-free.

I couldn't believe how many things we have that are made in China... seriously...Is EVERYTHING made in China?? I'm not blaming this on China though... really the accountability should lie with the toy companies that only care about increasing profits and not about our children....

This really upsets me too. My mom has the little people farm set and she bought ir for DS several years ago so I assumed it was safe. No, the recalled farm toys date all the way back to 2002! So for FIVE years these toys were being made with lead paint and nobody caught it? My son has been playing with this stupid lead painted toy for years now, I am beyond pissed. He also has sensory processing difficulties and I can't help but to wonder if these toys have anything to do with it...

the little people farm was recalled for lead paint? anyone have a link? my kids love little people! and all ours were purchased in 2003-2005!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jilian

This really upsets me too. My mom has the little people farm set and she bought ir for DS several years ago so I assumed it was safe. No, the recalled farm toys date all the way back to 2002! So for FIVE years these toys were being made with lead paint and nobody caught it? My son has been playing with this stupid lead painted toy for years now, I am beyond pissed. He also has sensory processing difficulties and I can't help but to wonder if these toys have anything to do with it...